Shlog Section-f

As we get close to Easter, this new song by Adie may be my favorite on her new CD “Don’t Wait”. Her voice is beautiful. God bless!

What Have I Done – Adie

What have I done Lord Jesus to deserve this endless love
What have I done Lord Jesus to be worthy of Your grace
What have I done Lord Jesus to standing here with You
What have I done Lord Jesus to be worthy of You

For I am nothing yet You love me
I am no one yet You care
You thought of me when You died
What have I done to deserve this love

And I lay down my will
To do Yours until
My life I life I give hence forth to live for You alone

You made me worthy of You

I just wanted to post the chorus to this song:

Mystery of Mercy--Andrew Peterson

My God, my God
Why hast thou accepted me?
You took my sin and wrapped me in
your robe and your ring
My God, my God
Why hast thou accepted me?
It’s a mystery of mercy
and the song I sing.

Andrew Petersen is among my favorite song writers.  Others include Derek Webb, Aaron Tate, and Bob Dylan.

Some lyrics that have stuck with me for quite some time are the first verse and chorus from “Shifting Sand” by Caedmon’s Call

Sometimes I believe all the lies
So I can do the things I should despise
And every day I am swayed
By whatever is on my mind

I hear it all depends on my faith
So I’m feeling precarious
The only problem I have with these mysteries
Is they’re so mysterious

And like a consumer I’ve been thinking
If I could just get a bit more
More than my 15 minutes of faith,
Then I’d be secure

(Chorus)
My faith is like shifting sand
Changed by every wave
My faith is like shifting sand
So I stand on grace

Yeah, Mr. Peterson is one of my fave songwriters, too.  My youth leader, who knows him, introduced me to Andrew, and also to his music.  I fell in love with sound of The Far Country as soon as I’d heard clips on the internet.  The following song may or may not be my favorite song on the cd, but it’s on my mind right now, for several reasons (the words to this one are actually written by Ben Shive [Andrew’s music buddy]).  It’s called:

The Havens Grey

There is no road to bear me from my sorrow
No healing that is deeper than this hurt
My heart is gone away across the water
To the bright, undying shores beyond the world

The parting is the price, it is the price that I must pay
To harbor far beyond the Havens Grey.

"Completely Free” by Big Daddy Weave.  One of my top 3 favorite songs ever and it really moves me.  Here are the lyrics.

Broken and poured out for the love of His creation
God paid a debt that He didn’t owe
Bearing my pain for not one was His equal
And wearing my shame so that I could know Him
He gave us all He had to give
So that we could truly live
So let’s give all we have to Him
So that we can be completely free

And as they placed the thorns on His brow
As they drove the nails into His hands and His feet
He looked past the moment
To where we are now
And gave us the victory
From what seemed His defeat

He said here’s my body
It’s broken in two
Here is my blood let it cover you
All that I have is now yours to receive
Payment in full so that you could be free

Oh without a doubt completely
So that we can be completely free

"Girl America” from Mat Kearney’s Nothing Left to Loose.  Good song.  I’m not usually a fan of the alternating singing/rapping style, but I like Mat Kearney despite that.

my girl america is just a youth is this world
her smile is more precious than the sparkle of pearls
and though her age reads she’s just a young girl
the age behind her eyes show the pain that she’s swirled
through the hand that’s been dealt though it’s quiet as kept
the weight was all felt last night when she slept
and as she crept into the dreams of the things of her past
seems to have grown so fast, way beyond her own class
though they’re right there with her, her brothers and her sisters
a natural born leader even when her peers dis her
my girl, she’s at a crossroads, people praying for her
some are preying on her magazine ads, sex, drama
smoking marijuana, longing for a father to call her, ‘daughter’
she’s part of a generation longing for reconciliation
and this future that they’re facing and this poison that they’re tasting
my girl, i know this love that your chasing

my girl america’s crying when she’s lying on her bed at night
i can see that she’s screaming when she’s dreaming for her freedom
my girl america’s dying while she’s trying just to stop this fight
don’t stop believing, my girl america

boys with hungry eyes have been beating her door
telling her that’s what she’s for, trying to rob at her core
then leave calling her a whore, but still she knows there’s more
i know she knows there’s more because there is a voice she can’t ignore
‘cause it was founded in the foundations, from the day of her creation
in God we trust engraved on the treasures of her nation
and the void that the boys can’t fill
with the tipping of the bottle or the popping of the pill
but still most of her friends don’t care as they glare
ready to drown down the funnel as they frown down the tunnel
they stumble and the tumble breaking down into rubble
my girl america, stop can’t you see
it’s not the circumstances that determine who you’re gonna be
but how you deal with these problems and pains that come your way
it’s for you that i pray with hope for a brighter day
and so i say, your deliverance is coming

faith like a child from your first birth
you left it in the dirt on your worst hurt
and i see each tear and every scar
the hands that have held you where you are
and i can see we’ve strayed so far
a king born under that morning star
as a crown of thorns was placed to erase
each tear that’s touched your face
and his palms and sides where pierced with spears
he hung in love just to draw you near
my girl, out of this whole world
can’t you see this is where we started

I’ve posted before that Shaun and Matt Redman are my 2 favorite song writers.  I have really been into the song “Beautiful News” by Matt Redman lately.

Beautiful News – Matt Redman

Joy is the theme of my song,
And the beat of my heart, And that joy is found in You
For You showed the power of Your cross
And Your great saving love, And my soul woke up to You
I heard Your beautiful news; Grace so amazing, so true…

Shout it out, let the people sing
Something so powerful should shake the whole wide world
Make it loud, make it louder still;
Savior we’re singing now to celebrate Your beautiful news

There’s a God who came down to save
Showed the world His amazing grace
There’s a God who came down to save, And He calls your name

I love this song and the words just stay with me all day.

Future Of Forestry – All I Want
I will go where glory meets the crude and weak
I will go where mercy meets the shame
I will go where strength will find the small and meek
I will go where magic meets mundane

And You’re all I want, You’re all I want
You’re all I’ll find
You have my heart forever
You are all that I could need

I will go where grace and healing love restores
I will go where peace and rest is known
I will go where friendship finds my heart in yours
I will go where beauty leads me home

John Waller - The Blessing
From the album The Blessing

Chorus:
Let it be said of us
While we walked among the living
Let it be said of us
By the ones we leave behind
Let it be said of us
That we lived to be a blessing for life

Let it be said of us
That we gave to reach the dying
Let it be said of us
By the fruit we leave behind
Let it be said of us
That our legacy is blessing for life

This day
You set life, you set death right before us,
This day
Every blessing and curse is a choice now
And we will choose to be a blessing for life

Let it be said of us
That our hearts belonged to Jesus Let it be said of us
That we spoke the words of life
Let it be said of us
That our heritage is blessing for life

For your Kingdom, for our Children
For the sake of every nation

I have that song on a cd (the big thing/the next big thing [?]).  Not particularly fond of the song itself, but I do like the lyrics.  (I’m glad this topic ain’t over yet :^)
I’ll try to come back soon with something.

I’ve been listening to Steve Taylor songs for as long as I can remember.  But it has only been in the past couple years that I have really paid close attention to the meanings of the songs.  It’s a little hard to pick which one I like best, but this one in particular I found rather touching when I first realized what it was about.  So here it is:

Steve Taylor - Innocence Lost


Ever hear the sound of a death row chorus?
ever see the look of a wolfman prowling the steps?
in this deep freeze bunker they store us
send away the priest, ‘cause they’re ain’t nothing more to confess

She had the innocent eyes of a Renoir lady
clutched her black book like an angel nursing a child
“It’s a quarter to midnight here, baby
if you’re gonna stare, do it while I’m sleeping”

But her eyes, they shone of an innocent way…
in her eyes, we glimpsed of an innocent way…
and in the days that followed we were under a spell
why’s the girl visiting a prison cell?

Innocence, innocence,
innocence lost
all souls want it back
some uncover the cost
innocence, innocence lost
break free, look at me
is your innocence lost?

He’d seen things that a man don’t mention
sunk into his eyes was a weariness nothing could heal
“Don’t tell me ‘bout your cheap salvation
what’s a man do when he don’t feel nothing?”

But her eyes, they shone of an innocent way…

She said, “Beyond these bars there are things you can’t see”
He spoke slowly
“Ain’t no pardon for me”

Innocence, innocence,
innocence lost
all souls want it back
some uncover the cost
innocence, innocence lost
she said, “Look at me,
don’t you, don’t you lose your innocence
don’t lose your innocence”
he said, “God’s own angels couldn’t give me hope
when you leave me hanging, just leave me enough rope”

But her eyes he glimpsed of an innocent way…

And on the eve of destruction they were shining the chair
outside vigils, inside men were sobbing
as she kissed his forehead when the morning had dawned
he said softly to her, “I’ll see you beyond”

Speaking in Tongues—The Elms

Got the kind of face everybody knows
Run around barefoot when it snows
Growing out your hair and you like it long
Fighting in the road and you know that’s wrong
People got a thing for the dangerous
You’ll find it inside the best of us
Taking what they want like it’s owed to them
Some of us do the best we can
Some of us do the best we can

Brothers! Brothers!
Everybody’s speaking in tongues, we gotta speak in love!

Never met a man said he did not try
Running from the truth time again in life
You can be the poor one, rich or wise
Everybody knows ‘bout sacrifice
So put me in the water, put me in the fire
Put me in the world and I’ll walk that wire
Seen the people come and I’ve seen them go
Talk all day but it’s what they show
Talk all day but it’s what you show!

Brothers!  Brothers!
Everybody’s speaking in tongues, we gotta speak in love!

Put me in the water, put me in the fire
put me in the world and I’ll walk that wire
Seen the people come and I’ve seen them go
Talk all day but it’s what they show

I Saw What I Saw

Tell Me What You Know
by Sara Groves

I saw what I saw and I can’t forget it
I heard what I heard and I can’t go back
I know what I know and I can’t deny it

Something on the road, cut me to the soul

Your pain has changed me
your dream inspires
your face a memory
your hope a fire
your courage asks me what I’m afraid of
(what I am made of)
and what I know of love

we’ve done what we’ve done and we can’t erase it
we are what we are and it’s more than enough
we have what we have but it’s no substitution

Something on the road, touched my very soul

I say what I say with no hesitation
I have what I have and I’m giving it up
I do what I do with deep conviction

Something on the road, changed my world

Behind the Song:
““I Saw What I Saw” is about our experience in Rwanda. I saw so many things there that changed me. Some boys were playing with a ball made from banana leaves. It was January, and memories of Christmas were fresh in my mind. My kids are good kids, and we work on being grateful, but that scene gave me clarity about ‘needs’ and ‘wants’. Another day at lunch we saw prisoners walking through town. Only a small group of perpetrators of the genocide are still imprisoned. 60,000 prisoners have been released back into the community due to the inability to bring justice at that mass level, but there have been no acts of retribution to those prisoners. Rwanda is following the model of South Africa for reparations that says, “Without forgiveness, there is no future.” To see that kind of forgiveness lived out is life changing.” - Sara Groves

Here Is Our King—David Crowder*Band

From wherever spring arrives to heal the ground
From wherever searching comes to look itself
A trace of what we’re looking for
so be quiet now, and wait

The ocean is growing
The tide is coming in
Here it is:

(chorus)
Here is our King
Here is our Love
Here is our God who’s come to bring us back to him
He is the one
He is Jesus

And what was said to the rose to make it unfold
Was said to me here in my chest
So be quiet now, and rest.

Majesty!
Finally!

I am going to a Derek Webb and Caedmon’s Call concert next month and I can’t get enough of the song “Lover” by Derek Webb.  Amazing song!

Lover - Derek Webb

Like a man comes to an altar, I came into this town
With the world upon my shoulders
And promises passed down
And I went into the water
My father, he was pleased
I built it and I’ll tear it down so you will be set free

I found thieves and salesmen living in my father’s house
I know how they got in here and I know how to get ‘em out
I’m turning this place over from floor to balcony
And then just like these doves and sheep oh you will be set free

I’ve always been a lover from before I drew a breath
Some things I loved easy and some I’ll loved to death
Because love’s no politician, it listens carefully
So of those who come I can’t lose one, so you will be set free

But go on and take my picture, go on and make me up
I’ll still be your defender and you’ll be my missing son
And I’ll send out an army just to bring you back to me
‘Cause regardless of your brother’s lies oh you will be set free
I am my beloved’s and my beloved’s mine
So you bring all your history and I’ll bring the bread and wine
And we’ll have us a party where all drinks are on me
Then as surely as the rising sun oh you will be set free

Words and Music: Derek Webb
©2002 Niphon, Inc. (Admin by Music Services). All rights reserved. Used by permission. ASCAP